What’s Trending: NCAA Tournament First Weekend
Posted by Nick Fasulo (@nickfasuloSBN) on March 24th, 2014What’s Trending is a column examining the week that was in college basketball social media. Nick Fasulo (@nickfasuloSBN) is your weekly host.
Welcome to the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Only this meme can succinctly capture it all…
h/T @WorldOfIssac
Aaron Craft
I am not a mean person (I’m also not a Photoshop wiz). But this was very mean, despite being funny. It also felt necessary due to all the positive publicity the great Aaron Craft has received during his four years in Columbus.
Aaron Craft, March 2015, wondering how to meet his sales quota. pic.twitter.com/gFDO50mbuX
— Nick Fasulo (@nickfasuloSBN) March 20, 2014
Mark Gottfried
NC State had it locked up. TJ Warren was more or less rolling and the Billikens couldn’t keep up. But some horrific free throw shooting and what appeared to be apathetic coaching doomed the Wolfpack to the cruelest of NCAA Tournament losses.
Don’t think we weren’t watching, Mark.
NC State gacks away 16 point second half lead, loses to St. Louis. Because Gottfried.
— Not Jerry Tipton (@NotJerryTipton) March 21, 2014
Remember this game the next time you see that financial planning commercial with Gottfried in it.
— Mark Ennis (@Mengus22) March 21, 2014
Duke Loses to Mercer
Mercer’s time in the limelight lasted about 48 hours, but the following dance (and America’s glee with a Blue Devils loss) made the Bears memorable.
I guess Duke really is Syracuse's new Georgetown.
— We Take The Stairs (@NoEscalators) March 21, 2014
Dayton President and The President
Congrats to Dayton, a basketball-first school, for reaching the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1984. Your school president hung out with you over the weekend, and our nation’s President even gave you props for the pair of big victories. What a weekend!
President Curran, carried down Kiefaber as students shout "Dan! Dan! Dan!" pic.twitter.com/ZGmHw36dkj
— William Garbe (@wgarbe) March 23, 2014
Congrats to the @DaytonFlyers on a huge upset win! Devin Oliver, I may need to take you up on that pick-up game one of these days. -bo
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 23, 2014
Stanford Band
The Stanford band was accused of smuggling in hard alcohol to the Cardinal’s Sunday game against Kansas. It was soon reported that that accusation was erroneous, but I’m wondering if they forgot to check out this guy.
from Deadspin
Crying Kansas Fan
I flashed back to 1998 when I saw this kid. Duke had just lost to Kentucky in the regional final, and I was the worst kind of Duke fan. I wept and told my mom I hated William Avery. Chin up, kid. These things too shall pass.
Wichita State – Kentucky
The game of the weekend. Probably the game of the year. Arguably one of the best NCAA Tournament games of the past 10 years. There were so many jaw-dropping, breath-taking, “no way” yelling moments from the Shockers thriller with the Wildcats that we all ran out of ways to say we were watching something incredible.
Hey, Wichita State. Just to be clear. Were any of you guys recruited by Kentucky? pic.twitter.com/wn9L30HBSO (via @t_adame)
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) March 22, 2014
from @SBNationCBB
Linkables
- For years, Jay Bilas has been a must follow on Twitter, but he’s never reciprocated… until now [SportingNews.com].
- Roddy White owes someone Falcons season tickets [FoxSports.com].
- Down big in the first half, the Wisconsin Badgers went Oregon Duck hunting in the second half, and came up victorious [Twitter].
- In case you didn’t see Steve Fisher‘s mini- (but valid) rant about how losing teams are shuffled out by the NCAA, do watch it. [YouTube]
- It wasn’t a house divided for one couple leading up to the Mercer – Tennessee game, it was more like “wife gets to sleep inside”, “husband is relegated to pitching a tent” [Bleacher Report].